This article has been updated with new information
The coach with the most Super Bowl wins in NFL history might be coming to college football. Here are the latest updates and rumors on Bill Belichick and UNC’s search for a new coach.
Bill Belichick confirmed this week that he spoke recently with the University of North Carolina about its vacant head coaching position, and the two sides could be close to an agreement after reports surfaced last week about Belichick going through the interview process. The former New England Patriots coach has been making weekly media appearances with ESPN, “The Pat McAfee Show” and “Inside the NFL,” among other ventures since the Patriots elected to end their 24-year partnership with him last January.
Belichick, 72, has 333 career wins, eight Super Bowl appearances and six Super Bowl wins over 29 seasons as an NFL head coach, but he has never coached at the collegiate level. His father, Steve Belichick, was a longtime assistant coach at Navy.
Bill Belichick’s apparent willingness to replace Mack Brown at UNC, and perhaps bypass any NFL coach openings this offseason, is suddenly the biggest storyline during this year’s college football coaching carousel. Nothing is official yet as UNC and Belichick mull a future together in which college football resembles the NFL more than ever before.
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But a decision by either Belichick or UNC could be imminent with the transfer portal already open. Here are the latest updates on the coaching search and the intriguing developments surrounding Belichick’s potential future in college football:
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ESPN reported Wednesday afternoon that “the ball is in Belichick’s court” and a resolution should come in the near future with North Carolina officials ready to make him their hire. The potential role of Belichick’s son, current Washington defensive coordinator Stephen Belichick, as well as North Carolina’s NIL resources, Belichick’s salary and resources for the staff and reporting structure remain issues, according to ESPN.
Not so fast. Maybe there isn’t an emergency board of trustees meeting just yet. What has already been a convoluted coaching search full of leaks seems to have encountered another twist. Belichick and North Carolina have not reached a deal just yet.
It appears UNC and Bill Belichick could be closing in on an agreement, as of Wednesday afternoon. Multiple reports out of North Carolina indicate Belichick is finalizing a deal to become the next UNC football coach, and that the university’s Board of Trustees have called an emergency meeting to approve the contract. Board approval, according to both WRAL.com and the News and Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, is a necessary step in order for the hire to become official.
Though other names have surfaced since the Tar Heels let go of Mack Brown, Belichick has become the focus of the coaching search. What’s currently happening behind the scenes suggests the search should be over soon.
The latest national reports suggest that Belichick is considering an offer to become North Carolina’s next football coach, but The Athletic, ESPN and the Raleigh News and Observer have each reported in previous stories that a power struggle going on within North Carolina is holding up the process to make Belichick the next Tar Heels’ football coach. ESPN reported that UNC Board of Trustees chair John P. Preyer has been a key Belichick advocate. Preyer said publicly he did not like how Brown’s firing was handled by North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham.
Other issues standing in the way of Belichick becoming UNC’s coach include the potential role of his son Stephen Belichick, UNC’s NIL resources, Belichick’s salary and resources for the staff, according to ESPN. Stephen Belichick is currently the defensive coordinator at the University of Washington.
Tulane’s Jon Sumrall was also tied to the UNC job, but took his name out of the running Monday when he announced he would be staying with the Green Wave. UNC has also spoken to Army‘s Jeff Monken about the opening, as well as Georgia defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann and former Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers head coach Steve Wilks, according to ESPN. Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith also said UNC approached to discuss the job opening shortly after Brown’s dismissal was announced last month.
If things fall through with Belichick, there will be a lot of pressure on UNC to hire a new coach quickly.
Belichick, during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Monday did not discuss specifics about his conversations with North Carolina. But he did lay out a vision for how a college football program would look under his leadership.
“If I was in a college program, the college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that had the ability to play in the NFL,” Belichick said. “It would be a professional program – training, nutrition, scheme, coaching techniques ‒ that would transfer to the NFL. It would be an NFL program at a college level and an education that would get the players ready for their career after football, whether that was at the end of their college career or their pro career.”
“But it would be geared towards developing the players, time management, discipline, structure, and all that. There would be life skills regardless of whether they were in the NFL or somewhere in business. I feel very confident I have the contacts in the National Football League to pave the way for those players … to have the opportunity to compete in the NFL .”
